Molecular detection of Escherichia coli and Shiga toxin-producing genes stx1 and stx2 from diarrheal samples in dogs

Abstract

Diarrhoea is a widespread public health concern that can be caused by several pathogens, such as Salmonella, Shigella, Escherichia coli, etc. Escherichia coli is found in both animals and humans. Multidrug-resistant E. coli bacteria with varying antibiotic resistance profiles, especially for Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), can be found in pet dogs. Infant diarrhoea, hemorrhagic colitis, thrombotic thrombo cytic purpura, and hemolytic uremic syndrome are all linked to Shiga-like toxin-producing E. coli (SLT-EC). This study aimed to molecularly identify E. coli from diarrheal samples of dogs from Anand, GJ and detect Shiga toxin-producing genes stx1 and stx2 using PCR technique. 58 out of 68 rectal samples were found to have the presence of E. coli using PCR using species-specific primers. In this study, the overall prevalence of E. coli was 85.29%.